It was during a spring 2006 trip to China that Lafayette School Corp. assistant superintendent John Layton saw the need for a Mandarin language program.

"I knew immediately ... if we were going to move forward and come out and be on the forefront, we needed to get a Mandarin language program," Layton said. "It just hit me right in the face."

Since then, the district's program has blossomed to include multiple guest teachers, a Confucius Classroom learning facility and an upcoming student trip to China.

And now, other districts are taking notice.

Representatives from a handful of school districts spent Friday in Lafayette for LSC's first superintendents roundtable on Chinese language and culture programs, which Layton said may turn into an annual event.

Educators gathered at Tecumseh Jr. High School to learn more about how to start Mandarin language programs or enhance existing ones through LSC's example.

Within LSC, 217 students are engaged in Mandarin language studies. Some form of Mandarin language or culture class is offered at Edgelea Elementary, Sunnyside Middle School and both Oakland and Lafayette Jefferson high schools.

Through partnerships with Purdue University's Confucius Institute, the Chinese Hanban program and partner schools, the district has enjoyed a steady stream of visiting teachers and LSC officials have taken a number of trips to China to forge relationships with Chinese schools.

Oakland High School Principal Clare Lutgen, who has traveled to China three times, told conference attendees that forging those relationships wasn't easy.

"It is crucial when you're looking at establishing partnerships with schools in China that you are willing to make the investment in relationships. That is the key, pivotal part."

Warsaw Community School Corp. administrators said they attended because they are interested in exploring how to incorporate a Mandarin program at the elementary level. The district has Mandarin programs at the high school and eighth-grade levels.

"The different opportunities they talked about, the different points of view, it's pretty new to me," said Principal Dennis Duncan of Jefferson Elementary School. "It's just a concept I need to learn about and bring to our children."

David Hoffert, Warsaw's chief academic officer, said LSC's success can fuel the desire of other districts to explore expanding their programs.

"Sometimes seeing the excitement and passion of others gets us excited to go back and look at new thought processes," Hoffert said. "As we expand these programs, which way do we want to go?"

Lafayette School Corp. assistant superintendent John Layton opens the discussion Friday during a roundtable on Mandarin and Chinese culture programs at Lafayette Tecumseh Junior High School. In the background is a photograph of the late educator Sue Jones, who Layton credits with being the impetus for LSC's Mandarin program.